Socialization: The Socialization Myth
All too often, parents who tell others that they home school are met with gasps of surprise and dismay, followed by a barrage of questions which strongly imply that home schooling your child will make them socially inept. What people fail to think about is the fact that home schooling actually provides more opportunities for your child to socialize with children that you, as a parent, find suitable. In contrast to home schooling, if your child is in the public school system he or she may be socialized with anyone at all. You have no control over who your child sits in class with, and what those children may teach your child about the world. Most parents probably wouldn't want their children associating with others who have serious behavior or emotional problems, but in public schools there is no real way to prevent your child from being exposed to extremely negative stimuli.
It is very difficult for your child to fall in with the wrong crowd whilst being home schooled at the kitchen table, whereas children who are forced to interact with their classmates may find themselves being socialized in ways that no parent would wish for. Keep in mind also that schools are primarily a place to learn. If the class is being taught algebra, then any socializing going on at that point is likely to be to the detriment of the student.
It is possible for home school children to make friends in other places, such as playgroups, or sports teams: places where socializing is appropriate and encouraged. This also means that you can have more control over who your child socializes with, a distinct advantage that home schooling has over public schooling.
Not only can you give your children plenty of opportunities to socialize after their home school lessons are done, you can also ensure that you are the primary socializing force in their lives. This means that they will take their behavior cues from you, rather than the children who they are confined with between six and eight hours a day.
Public schools socialize children in somewhat of a make believe environment. The real world is not like school, and your child is not going to be assigned a buddy at work because of similar last names, or be forced to share their recreational times with bullies who steal their lunch.
Those who believe that home schooling children is detrimental to their social development should look again. Home schooling provides the opportunity for children to learn undisturbed, at their own pace, and to socialize appropriately and safely when their lessons are done.
________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, author, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of almost 3 decades reside with their 8 children in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. because "our current system of education has broken its promise..." Learning By Grace, Inc. delivers Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children in the United States and throughout the world.
Rothschild has authored a number of books about education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.
Electronic reproduction of this article is permitted if content is published unchanged, appropriate credit is given, and the article title links to corresponding article webpage.